The Last Mystery
by AlmostInfinity
Summary: Oneshot. Loki left Mayura with one final mystery. Will she be able to figure it out? Takes place if Loki went to Asgard. Mayuloki


**So, this is a oneshot I happened to think of for this series. Takes place if Loki went to Asgard.**

* * *

Loki was gone.

No matter how much Mayura wanted to deny that fact, she knew deep down that it was true. Days had passed since the news of his mysterious disappearance, but the pink haired teen had refused to stop searching until he was found. Now, as her pace slowed to a moderate walk, she felt an unexplainable twinge of defeat. It was a familiar experience, and Mayura remembered that she had felt like this right before her mother passed away; when she knew her mother wasn't coming back.

By habit, her feet carried her forward until she was standing in front of the gate to the Enjaku Detective Agency. Her hands gripped the metal bars as she stared up at the building, hoping to see Loki peering out of the window, lost in thought like usual. Her fantasy was shattered by an empty rectangle of darkness. Mayura sucked in a deep breath and held onto her last shred of optimism. Loki had to be here. This was the only place left he _could_ be.

Mayura let herself in through the front door and tapped her shoes on the door mat. A cloud of dust rose from the fibers and she covered her face with her sleeve, coughing. Dark, empty, and quiet was not the way she remembered the agency to be.

"Loki-kuuun! Yamino-saaan!" Mayura called into the darkness. "Tadaima!"

She didn't receive a response, so she climbed up the stairs to Loki's main room, pausing in front of the door. She hesitated when reaching out for the door handle, figuring he might get mad at her again for going in without him, but she pushed it open anyway…

…and wished she hadn't.

If she had any doubts of his absence before, they ceased with this sight. The room was completely barren of everything but the furniture. Loki's ancient history books, once sorted and displayed proudly on the shelves, were gone. Yamino's favorite tea cups usually set out on the table were gone. The metal bowl that Mayura had purchased for Fenrir as a homecoming gift was gone.

Just like they were.

And suddenly, Mayura couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She slumped in front of Loki's oversized desk and cried enough to make up for the days she had been too busy searching to cry. Nothing had ever confused her more, but it was too late to find out the truth.

"It's not fair…" She gasped between sobs. "I want to see Loki-kun!"

The window was open a crack, and the same gust of wind that snapped it shut also blew a piece of paper onto Mayura's lap. She lifted her head from her hands and stared at her lap, wiping her face clean of tears. The slip of paper was folded, and Mayura recognized her name scribbled on top. It was definitely Loki's handwriting; she had seen him sign checks before. Her heartbeat increased slightly as she unfolded the top flap.

_How is a watch unlike a memory?_

Mayura couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't expected Loki to leave her a riddle as a goodbye.

"Fushigi mystery," she whispered for good measure.

There was a line of writing underneath it that read:

_P.S. Don't look at the answer until you've figured out the riddle yourself._

He knew her too well. It would have been easy enough to lift the fold and find out the answer right there, and the temptation was devastating, but she wanted to honor his last mystery for her by cracking the code herself. She stayed silent for a moment, and that's when she heard the ticking. She stood up, her pink hair swinging with the motion, and glanced at Loki's desk to find a bronze pocket watch at the center. Mayura lifted it by the chain and popped the cover open, watching as the second hand moved with each tick. She alternated her gaze between the note and the watch, her smile growing wider.

"Alright, Loki-kun," she said. "You're on."

* * *

The days turned into weeks, and soon enough the months turned into years.

Mayura watched as the wood in the fireplace crackled under the flames. She savored the peaceful moment as her chair rocked back and forth slowly. Hearing footsteps down the hall, she tilted her head to the door with a smile.

"Obaa-chan!" Two kids came bounding into the room with excited smiles. One was a boy with brown hair and a baseball cap, and the other was a girl with pink hair and a yellow dress.

Mayura held out her wrinkled palms towards the kids. "It's good to see you two! Come here." Both of them grabbed one of her hands and settled on to either side of her lap.

"Obaa-chan, read us a story?" The girl stared up at Mayura sweetly. "One of the mystery novels you wrote!"

"Ano…" Mayura started.

"Pleeeeease?" The kids said together.

"Alright…how can I refuse a good mystery?" Mayura laughed, reaching out a shaky hand to pick up one of her novels. When she opened it up, a slip of paper fell onto her lap.

"What's that?" The boy asked, pointing.

Mayura picked the note up carefully and stared at it with a crestfallen expression. "Mou…I was never able to solve the riddle in it…" She gestured toward the end table by the fireplace. "That watch is supposed to be a clue."

The little girl hopped off of Mayura's lap to retrieve the pocket watch. She brought it to Mayura and took a seat on her lap once again. "Open it!" she said eagerly.

Mayura popped the cover open like she had so many times over the years, hoping to understand the meaning behind the riddle. The second hand still ticked in rhythm; nothing had changed. She sighed and was about to close it when all of a sudden the ticking stopped. The second hand was no longer moving like it had a couple of moments ago, and the silence broke her heart. Mayura gasped, tears filling her eyes.

"Obaa-chan!" The kids asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Mayura shook her head, her hand covering her mouth to muffle her sobs. "I…I know the answer…"

Finally, after all this time, she could read the bottom of the note.

_So, why is a watch unlike a memory?_

_A watch may stop ticking one day, but I will never stop thinking of you._

* * *

**Aw…now I'm all emotional…**

**Obaa-chan means "grandma", by the way.**

**I truly enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Yes, I did think of the riddle myself.**

**Mayuloki is love.**


End file.
